Garment cleaning machine



Sep., 12, 1933. l H.' J, ERM|SCH 19925577 G AHMENT CLEANING MACHINE Filed July 7, 1930 3 She'bS-Sheet l @komm/go Sept. l2, i933. H, J. ERMISCH GARNENT CLEANING MACHINE Filed July 7. 1930 3 SheeLS-Sl'leebl 2 UNM...

www C iT l if! I Sept-12, 1933- H. J. ERMlscH 1,926,977

GARMENT CLEANING MACHINE Filed July '7, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 akkoz uab Patented Sept. 12?, 1933 Unirse s'm'rss PATENT F'FCE lThis invention relates to a novel method of cleaning garments and to novel machine for performing that method.`

An object oi this invention is to provide a 5 machine that shall produce a more thorough cleaning of garments without subjecting them to any great danger of injury. y

A. further object is to provide a cleaning ma# chine of this type that shallbc entirely automatic l in its action. i

A further object is to devise a method of cleaning in which a more efficient drying action may be obtained.

Other objects of my present invention will be 15 apparent to those skilled in the art from the description and appended claims.

1n the drawings accompanying the description,

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side View of an arrangement incorporating my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top view of the arrangement shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a View taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a view taken along line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail of the conveyor used in my device.

Fig. 1' is a view oi a preferred form of clothes hanger to be used my arrangement.

My cleaning machine consists of a washing chamber 1, a spraying chamber 2, a rinsing chainber 3 and a drying chamber 4. A conveyor 5 extends through all of these chambers and carries the clothes successively through them.

The conveyor 5 consists or a guide channel within which runs some driving member such as a chain. This driving member, moving through l the channel 5, carries with it a series of loops 'l0 or supporting members 7. The conveyor 5 follows a sinuous path through the machine as shown in Fig'. 2. This causes the loops i to rotate a fraction ci a turn back and forth as they travel along the conveyor. Each loop '7 is adapted to receive a clothes hanger S preferably made of rustless wire. 1n order that the hanger 8 partake of the turning movement of the loop 7, the loop '7 is provided with a rectangular aperture 5c 9 which is adapted to receive the hook 10 of the hanger 8. This hook 10 is made with a square or rectangular cross section in accordance with the shape of the aperture 9. Due to this structure the hanger S and consequently the clothes 8a carried by said hanger partakes oi the above mentioned turning movement of the loop 7.

Chamber 1 contains a receptacle 11 which is lilled with a mixture 12 of gasoline and soap. 1n the bottom of the receptacle are a plurality 60 of agitators 13 which are driven from a motor 14. The agitators are of conventional form and are rotated back and forth causing a swirling motion of the mixture 12. The conveyor 5 is so placed in the chamber 1 that the hangers 8 and 65 the clothes carried by these hangers are submersed in the mixture 12. rEhe motion caused by the agitators causes the clothes to be rubbed together while the turning due to the sinuous path of the conveyor insures an equal and thorough cleaning of the entire garment.

Chamber 2 contains a series of pipes which surround the path through which the clothes must travel. Each pipe 13 contains a series of nozzles 14. A pump 15 driven by a motor 16 75 feeds gasoline under pressure from feed pipe 15a to the pipes 13. This gasoline shoots from the nozzles 14 in a series oi fine streams which are directed onto the clothes 8a. This causes the o gasoline to penetrate between the woven threads S0 of the clothes and produces an additional thorough cleaning of the garment. The rotation of the garment by the sinuous path of the conveyor 5 causes all sides of the garment to be presented in equal degree to the cleaning action of the streams of gasoline.

Chamber 3 like chamber 1 contains a receptacle 17 in which are provided agitators 18 driven by a motor 19. This receptacle 17 however contains a bath 20 of gasoline. tators and the conveyor 5 is the same as in charn-V ber'l. In chamber 3 a thorough rinsing of the clothes takes place.

Chamber 4 contains a series of hot air inlet pipes 21 which are fed with hot air from the hot 95 air pipe`22 by the pumps 23. The hot air coming from these pipes 21 is directed against the clothes 8a and thoroughly dries them. The gasoline vapor laden air is removed from the chamber 4 100 through outlet pipes 24 by the suction ian 25. The gasoline vapors are passed into the condenser 26 where they are condensed and passed back into the system through pipe 27.

A pipe 28 runs the length of the machine. Into 105 this pipe a drain pipe from the bottom of each chamber 1, 2, 3 and 4 is provided whereby the gasoline used in each of these chambers may be drained o and passed into the system through the pipe 28.

The action of the agi- 904'" The operation of the machine is as follows. The receptacle ll is charged with the mixture 12 and the receptacle 17 charged with the rinse 20. All the motors are set in operation and the conveyor 5 is set in motion. A garment is placed on the hanger 8. Due to the fact that the conveyor 5 travels slowly, the hanger 8 may easily be placed on a loop '7. The conveyor 5 lowers the garment into the mixture 12 where a first cleaning step is obtained as explained above. The conveyor then lifts the garment from the mixture 12 and carries it, freely suspended on its hanger 8, into the chamber 2 where it is subjected to the cleaning action of the streams of gasoline issuing from the nozzles 14. The garment is then lowered by the conveyor 5 into the rinsing receptacle 17 where it is subjected to a thorough rinsing action. The conveyor then raises the garment from the rinsing bath and carries it, freely suspended, into the drying chamber 4. By having streams of hot air projected on the garment from all sides and also due to the turning motion of the loops 7, the garment is completely rid of all the gasoline Vapor and issues from the chamber 4 completely clean and dry.

The machine described above performs cleaning operations upon a garment so that a very thorough and complete cleaning is obtained. The entire operation is automatic, merely the hanging of the clothes on the loops 7 and the removal of the cleaned clothes therefrom being performed by hand.

Various changes may be made in this embodiment of my invention within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A machine for cleaning clothes comprising a cleaning chamber, a series of nozzles surrounding the space in which the clothes are to be cleaned, said nozzles being directed towards said space, means for supplying cleaning iiuid under pressure to said nozzles, means for supporting the clothes to be cleaned in said chamber comprising conveying means for conveying the clothes through said chamber and means for suspending the clothes from said conveying means, said conveying means extending sinuously in the direction of travel thereof whereby a rocking movement is imparted to said last-named means as the clothes pass through said chamber.

2. A machine for cleaning clothes comprising a cleaning chamber adapted to contain a cleaning fluid, conveying means for moving the clothes to be cleaned through said chamber comprising a horizontal sinuous guide channel, a traveling conveyor in said channel, supporting loops carried by said conveyor having apertures therein, clothes hangers with the hooks thereof engaging said supporting loops, the sinuous guide channel imparting a rocking motion in a horizontal plane to the clothes freely suspended upon said hangers whereby a uniform action of the cleaning iiuid is obtained.

HERMAN J. ERMISCH.

lGO 

